Delaying gun legislation will cost lives

Your recent editorial correctly pointed out that because Marylanders overwhelmingly support Gov. Martin O'Malley's gun legislation, voters almost certainly would approve it if it were petitioned to a referendum in 2014 ("Make our day," April 9).

However, a successful referendum petition would delay the date when the law goes into effect by 15 months and thus postpone its life-saving impact by a similar period.

We need to start as soon as possible implementing the law's fingerprinting and licensing requirements for handgun purchases, which is the state's most effective tool for reducing gun violence and saving lives.

That is why we at Marylanders To Prevent Gun Violence strongly urge citizens not to sign petitions to take this life-saving measure to the polls.